Apparatus for use in the manufacture or treatment of pulp for making paper and like materials.



H. ARLEDTER.

APPARATUS FOBUSE IN THE MANUFACTURE 0R TREATMENT OF PULP FOR MAKING PAPER AND LIKE MATERIALS; lPPLIOATION FILED JULY 25, 1910.

1,048,123. Patented Dec. 24,1912.

P .B C C =:-:-:-:-1-j 55 I 1V L 0 m @U a M u -S g S s. X /T x I J r .VIIQEEB S H .IgWEglT v ML. Mada/M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN AllitlllEDTllillt, OF FRODSHAM, ENGLAND.

Manufacture or, Treatment. of Pulp for Making Paper and Like Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the treatment of previously-manufactured pulp, such as mechanical pulp, chemical pulp, or the like, for paper-making, pa'steboard-making and the like.

In -my apparatus I effect the beating, disintegrating, washing, bleaching and mixing with chemicals of the pulp used in the manufacture of paper and the like, and where itis desired, dyeing, weighting and other processes, the whole being conducted in a hermetically sealed vessel under pres sure or under vacuum in' the following manner,

My experimental apparatus is set forth in the accompanying drawings. In these A is a vessel somewhat egg shaped, made strong enough to stand the pressure or vacu um. It has an inlet pipe B and numerous smaller inlet pipes C C for chemicals and the like, also inlets for gases, steam, or the like D, 'supplied of course with suitable pipes. Connected with pipe C i's a vacuum pump W, whereby a high vacuum may be maintained in chamberA, while connectedwith pipe D is a hydraulic pump X for pumping in water at a pressure of from 1000 to 2000 pounds to the square .inch. The

40 construction of these two pumpsforms no I a steam part of my invention, and I have, therefore, shown them only diagrammatically. One or more vessels, not shown, above this, in any convenient position, are connected with pipes to the openings C at the top so as to supply chemicals. The lower part of A has jacket E supplied;- by the steam pipes F.

G is a cock by which the entirechamber can be cut oil when desired.

H -is a hydraulic pump connected with the passage I from theconverting chamber A, 1 and also, at its outlet with the passages J. i K is an outlet fitted with a plug tap. L

Specification of Letters Patent.

-ward the disintegrator.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF PULP FOR MAKING PAPER AND LIKE MATERIALS. 1

another outlet also fitted with a plug tap M, either' of which could be used as desired,

M being a three-way cock leading into the disintegrator N of the usual type, having a b lock of knives O at thebottom. As this dlsintegrator is hermetically closed by the cover and therefore it is difiicult to lift the di-slntegrator cylinder, I form the block Patented Dec. 24, 1912. Application filed July 25, 1910. Serial No. 573,763.

of knives O to slide and have a screw device Q, below so as to force it up gradually to- The disintegrator drives the stuff back into the chamber A, a doctor or scraper R preventing the mateilial from continuing on the surface of the disintegrator.

S S' are two girders for holding up the disintegrator and to these girders the screw.

device Q is applied.

The mode of action of the apparatus is as follows :The material, say softened pulp and water is supplied to chamber A, it is pumped by the pump H through the disintegrator. Atfirst the adjustable bedplate is at some distance from the revolving knives, but as the material becomes finer and more homogeneous, the adjustable block of knives are-brought nearer and nearer to the revolving ones till they almost touch. The chemicals, pressure and vacuum are applied in the manner hereafter .stated by means of pumps X and W, respectively, and the process is watched through the sight-hole T, and also through another sight-hole in the man-hole U, and at sight-holes at other points if desired. Observation glasses can also be placed at any convenient point.

When the work is accomplished, therequired cocks are turned and the pump drives or blows all the materialofi to where it is scribed arrangement is that the outlet from .the grinder or disintegrator being directly into the chamber A and the circulation pump being at thebottom, there is no place for lodgment, otherwise the pump could be placed at any other point. In some instances the steam jacket is not required, in others Iinay have an additional coil to heat the vessel A. It will be observed in this description that I use a circulating pump H. This is not absolutely necessary as many of the existing disintegrators also act as a pump, and where the disintegrator is designed to act as a circulatinglpump it is not necessary to use the pump but the passage can be continuous from the converting chamber to the disintegrator; also Where the pulp is already in sucha state as not to require a disintegrator the disintegrator can be dispensed with, and a circulating pump only used.

In carrying out my process, I usually mix the pulp in an ordinary beater or mixer, and

suck it into'the chamber A by means of the vacuum, the sizing and coloring matter being added as required by the pipes. As soon as the chamber A is filled to its full capacity or nearly so it is closed, and the manhole lid put on if not already in position.

The disintegrator and propeller are no w' started, and the mass is circulated at a very high speed without any chance of air being drawn into the mass as always happens with existing beating engines. In the meantime as soon as the apparatus is filled, vacuum has been produced either by 3.' pump W or other means, the gases being drawn ofi at the top. The immediate effect of such a vacuum within the mass is the abstraction of the air and other gases, some of these lat-' ter being produced by chemical reactions from the interstices and pores of the pulp, but in these instances as before it gets saturated with water and chemicals and accelerates the hydration of the pulp to a very considerable extent also intensifying the chemical action upon the fibers which in existing processes is much retarded through the presence of air and gases. ,1 Through the impossibility of air being drawn into the mass by the disintegrator, the usual frothing seen on the paper machines isentirely avoided. Furthermore the air having been the fibers more readily. The constantly in creasing pressure drlvesthe. sizesand colors into the pores and interstices of the fiber"; which have already been cleared of gases by being previously,treated with vacuum and thus further increasing the physical and chemical actions andthe result is a perfect sizing, colorin or weighing, the materials being less like y to wash away afterbeing fixed and precipitated with alum. Other chemicals can be used in place of alum. If heat be required during the circulation of the mass, this is efiected by means of the outer coil and jacket or by direct steam r passed in. As soon as the mass has been subjected sufficiently long to the treatment under vacuum, the pressure is produced within the mass, either by forcing more water in or by raising the-temperature of the contents either directly or alternately by steam or by allowing the contents to get warm through the friction of the disintegrator. The process ofcirculation and dis integrating both under vacuum and pressure is continued until a sample taken from the test tap shows that the mass is in a proper condition. When if alum is required, the alum is passed in and when it has sufficiently acted upon the material the circulating pipe is closed and the whole mass is forced or pumped out through the emptying pipe through the stuff chests from which it is removed for use. The action of the pressure on the pulp is to bring about an'extremely intimate contact between the chemicals', colors, sizes and the fiber. It also when weighting is required greatly assists the deposit of the weighting materials in the pores of the fiber, as the liquid is forced into these pores and the interstices or knotty particles which might have escapeed the action of vacuum alone. By this means a far more rapid disassociat-ion is effected thanfa simple mechanical action could possibly bringlOO.

about, while on'account of the swelling upofthe materials the knotted particles are less likely to escape the disintegrating blades. In the case of incrusted fibers as in" mechanical wood pulp theseincrustations are rapidly broken down under the vacuum and subsequent pressure laying bare the cellulose to mechanical and chemical actions so that mechanical wood pulp thus treatedic an become practically equal to the best chemi- .110 cal pulp by passing through this process. The apparatus being closed and her,-' metically sealed, the entire operation of disintegrating, hydrating, dyeing, sizing" and weighting if required is very rapidly carried out, and far moreefiiciently than is possible in existing apparatus, While the application .of easily volatile substances such as am.- monia, carbonate of ammonia, chloriifi' oXygen, carbonic acid, or other gases, alcohol, 12 ether, light oils; spirits, bisulfid of carbon,. acetone, formaldehyde and the like, and their retention during the time of mixing andbeatmg in themass is made possible and consequently their physical or chemical action is assured. All easily volatile substances or volatile parts of substances can be ex. tracted from the apparatus during or afterthe treating process, and can be recovered by condensation, absorption in water or other-" 0 solvents or by compression. The mechanical pulp can be changed'into chemical pulp by qualities of pulp for better class papers, as for instance mechanical pulp where previously only chemical pulp had been used fifth, larger quantities can be treated in one operation without material increase in the driving power; sixth, the improvement in the quality of the paper with a given class of material; seventh, absence of cloudiness and unevenness caused by air bubbles and untreated batches; eighth, less breakage and consequent waste 011 the paper-machine, and.

ninth, the converting of mechanical pulp into chemical pulp or cellulose in the same apparatus and at the same time that the beating is effected' I-declare that what I claim is lfAn apparatus for treating wood pulp and converting it into 'a milky-like mass containing water, consisting of a closed chamber, means for heating this closed chamber; means for adding chemicals, means for varying the pressure In the closed'chamher from fabove atmospheric pressure to a considerable vacuum, and means forcarrying on a continuous forced circulation through the closed chamber.

2. An apparatus for treating wood pulp and converting it'into amilky-like-mass 'containmg water, eonslstmg of a closed chamber, means for heating this closed chamber, means for adding chemicals, means for varying the'pressur in the closed'chamber between a considerable pressure above atmospheric pressure and a considerable vacuum, means for carrying on a continuous forced circulation through the closed chamber, a disintegrating device in connection with said closed chamber and means for carrying on a forced circulation through the disintegrator device and through the chamber back to the disintegrating device.

3. The improvement in apparatus for treating wood pulp and converting it into a milky-like mass containing water, which consists in a closed chamber, means for varying the pressure therein between a considerable pressure and a considerable vacuum, means for disintegrating in connection with said chamber, means for causingacirculation through the disintegrator and the chamber back again to the disintegrator and means for regulating the distance between the knlves and the dlsintegrator from the outside while the parts .are in operation,

substantially as described.

4. The improvement in apparatus for treating pulp and converting it into a milkylike mass containing water, which consists in a closed chamber, means for varying the pressure. therein between a considerable pressure and a considerable vacuum, means for disintegrating in connection wit-h said chamber, means for causing a circulation through the I disintegrator, and the chamber, back again to the disintegrator, means for regulating the distance betweenthe knives in the disintegrator from the outside while the apparatus 15 inaction, and means for heating or cooling the contents.

. ,5. The combination of the chamber A,

pump H, passage J, three-way cock M, and

disintegrator N, with means for regulating the disintegrator substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 16th day of July, 1910, in the presence of .two subscribing wit- I HERMAN ARLEDTER.

lVitnes'ses i RICHARD WILLIS WILLIAMS,

H. WILLIAMS. 

